


Yearly Tradition

by Khrystyll



Series: Life after the end [1]
Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22253488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khrystyll/pseuds/Khrystyll
Summary: Hikaru ends up going to Innoshima on the same two days every year.
Series: Life after the end [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601968
Comments: 12
Kudos: 113





	Yearly Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> This fic mainly references events that occurred in episodes 61-62 of the anime (volume 15 of the manga).  
> This was written as the first of loosely-related Hikaru no Go post-canon fics in a planned series but that doesn't mean it'll actually end up as planned.

Hikaru doesn’t understand why he ended up back here again. 

Sure, it’s the first anniversary of Sai’s disappearance. It’s also true he came here on the same day last year. But that was when he was lost and confused and desperate. He now knows Sai won’t be here. It just felt like the right thing to do. At least this time he was responsible enough to have told the Institute beforehand that he would be away for a few days.

This time, he’s alone. He goes straight to Shuusaku’s grave, places an offering he hurriedly bought from Tokyo station carefully in front, and kneels down in front of it. He silently offers a short prayer for Shuusaku first. And after his mind was surprisingly blank for what seemed like a long time, he started recounting events of the past year in his head as if he was talking to Sai.

It seems ridiculous because he knows Sai isn’t here anymore. He’s not sure if ghosts that have passed on are even capable of hearing his thoughts. But Hikaru presses on. It feels right. He talks about being 1-dan for the longest time because of the disappearing stunt he pulled last year. He talks about having a weekly game and discussion with Touya at their Go salon. He talks about the Hokuto Cup and the irritating things Ko Yongha said. He talks about how he might tell Touya the truth about Sai someday.

There’s so much more that happened in that year and Hikaru goes back and forth with no seeming order, just spouting the things he remembers as they come. By the time Hikaru finishes, more than five hours have passed. He got carried away discussing his latest casual game with Kurata-san and was closer to ranting than storytelling near the end.

He doesn’t know why he’s even talking to Sai in front of Shuusaku’s grave. They were two different people who lived different lives. Sai didn’t even live in Innoshima, or anywhere near Hiroshima for that matter. As tutor of the emperor in the Heian era, he most likely lived in the area that is now known as Kyoto. But even if he were to go to Kyoto, he doesn’t know where exactly Sai lived and, as far as he knows, Sai doesn’t have a grave. He doesn’t even know which river Sai drowned himself in.

So. He’s using Shuusaku’s grave instead because he has one. And also because this area is dedicated to honoring Shuusaku’s Go-genius, and Hikaru knows Sai played all of Shuusaku’s professional games for him. At least there’s a connection.

Hikaru stands slowly because his legs have fallen asleep. When he turns around, he sees three people looking at him from a respectable distance away. He gives them a short bow before walking towards them. They must be here to pay respects to Shuusaku’s grave as well. He was about to apologize for taking so long, before the elderly lady handed him a bottle of water.

“You must keep yourself hydrated,” she said with a smile. “That was quite a long prayer.”

He took the water gratefully, albeit hesitantly. “Sorry, I got carried away.”

It turns out that they were staff of the Shuusaku Go Memorial Hall nearby, one of the places he visited with Kawai-san last year. One of them, the younger lady named Kobayashi-san, actually remembers him from his previous visit and asks whether Hikaru would like to tour the museum again this year. He nods and receives a ticket and brochure immediately after they arrive in the museum. 

The elderly lady who gave him water, Yamamoto-san, and the museum’s manager Takeda-san accompany him as he tours around the place. The last time he was here, he didn’t really take the time to actually look around and appreciate the museum. So he listens with rapt attention to what the two elders share with him. He thinks, not for the first time, how Sai would have loved this place if they had had an opportunity to make a trip like this before he disappeared.

There is a replica of Shuusaku’s childhood home with a goban set that visitors are apparently allowed to use. Takeda-san asks if Hikaru is up for a game and when he takes a seat in front of the goban to play, strangely he feels that, for the very first time, he is connected to Shuusaku — Torajirou — instead of just knowing him through Sai.

Despite the casual game, Takeda-san realizes that Hikaru is stronger than he lets on and only then makes the connection that “Shindou”, as Hikaru introduced himself, is actually 2-dan pro Shindou.

When the museum tour ended, they invited him to have dinner with them as it was getting late and officially past museum opening hours. In the end, Hikaru accepts their offer and they all meet up with Kobayashi-san who was preparing dinner for everyone (by heating up food in a microwave) at the museum office.

After dinner, Hikaru thanks them for the treat and apologizes again for taking so long in Shuusaku’s grave. But Takeda-san just grins and asks for his autograph. “In case you become a big-shot,” he said. And Yamamoto-san only smiles and tells him he’s welcome any time.

The next day, Hikaru goes to the Go salon Kawai-san went to before and is pleased to find the person he’s looking for. Shuuhei-san is surprised to see him, but greets him with a “Yo” before turning back his attention to a game he is currently playing. Nobody else in the salon seems to recognize Hikaru as a professional so he takes a spectator’s seat to watch Shuuhei-san’s game.

It doesn’t last very long and soon enough Shuuhei-san wins after his opponent resigns gracefully. When the opponent leaves, Hikaru takes the seat across Shuuhei-san and gives brief comments about the previous game.

“With the way he was playing, I say he was about right to give up at this point. But this kind of positioning is still salvageable. If it were me, I can still win.”

“I would ask you to back up your claims but we’ve already put away the stones”

Hikaru grins at that and starts wordlessly placing both black and white stones on the board. He may not know the actual order, but he knows the final state, and for this specific case, that’s all that matters. 

By the time Hikaru places the final stone, Shuuhei-san has recognized the positioning and huffs in disbelief. Regardless, he holds out a hand indicating for Hikaru to make his move. After 20 minutes, Hikaru does indeed keep his word by turning back the game on Shuuhei-san and winning by 7 moku in the end.

Shuuhei-san just frowns with his arms crossed in front of him because he asks for another game, this time from scratch. They play two whole games before he drives Hikaru back to the station.

“You’re doing better than last year, at least,” is what he says as Hikaru gets of the car.

“I’ll come back next year!” is what comes out of Hikaru’s mouth right before Shuuhei-san drives off.

He didn’t actually think about coming back. But he finds he likes the idea and just smiles to himself. He boards the train back, and the moment he is back home, he flops on his bed in exhaustion.

\-----

Another year passes and it’s now the second anniversary of Sai’s disappearance. Hikaru is back in Innoshima and fulfilling the promise he unthinkingly made the year before.

He immediately makes his way to Shuusaku’s grave, but is intercepted by Kobayashi-san who recognizes him on her way back to the memorial museum from an errand. She gets Hikaru to promise to visit the museum after his grave visit and to have dinner with the staff again. She assures him they’d love for him to join them.

In front of Shuusaku’s grave, Hikaru once again talks to Sai about the events of the past year. He doesn’t spend minutes being awkward about it. In fact, it surprises Hikaru how natural he finds it to just talk to Sai here. It takes slightly longer than last year, if only because Hikaru actually participated in the Young Lion’s Tournament and didn’t skip matches this time. 

When he stands and turns around, he sees Takeda-san waving him over from the nearest street. When he approaches, the elderly man immediately launches into an excited chatter about how he has been keeping up-to-date with Hikaru’s progress in the professional Go world. They arrive at the museum office where Kobayashi-san is preparing a make-shift dining table, and Yamamoto-san greets him with a gentle hug.

The next day, Hikaru finds Shuuhei-san in the same Go salon, sitting in front of a goban with his eyes closed, and no opponent sitting across him. When Hikaru moves to sit there, Shuuhei-san’s eyes flutter open to see him and the faintest hint of a smile is on his lips.

“You ain’t no liar, it seems.”

\-----

Hikaru didn’t make another promise but he still finds himself back in Innoshima when Sai’s disappearance anniversary inevitably comes around.

His talk with Sai lasts about as long as the previous year, because there can only be so much that can happen in 52 weeks, even if he insists to Sai that this year was his best yet. The museum staff are ready with an extra dinner portion this year, and Hikaru realizes this has become a yearly tradition. The realization is further cemented when he shows up at the Go salon the next day with Shuuhei-san ready in front of the goban once again.

\-----

Hikaru ends up going to Innoshima on the same two days every year.

He starts bringing a list of all the things he wants to tell Sai after the year he forgot to mention that he finally beat Touya in an official game, because yes that was important.

The museum staff treat him to dinner outside instead of at the museum office on the year he wins his first title.

He cleans Shuusaku’s grave for the first time on the year his grandfather died.

He starts bringing souvenirs for Kobayashi-san, Yamamoto-san, Takeda-san, and Shuuhei-san once he becomes an adult and realizes it’s the polite thing to do.

He starts meeting up with Shuuhei-san in places other than the Go salon after the year they exchanged phone numbers, even though they still end up playing Go.

On the year he earns the Honinbo title for the first time, he cries in front of Shuusaku’s grave.

On the year he gets his driver’s license, Shuuhei-san lets him drive the car back to the station so he can show off.

On the year his fan breaks because someone accidentally steps on it, he buys a new one and offers the broken one to Sai on Shuusaku’s grave during his yearly visit.

On the year he holds more titles than Touya for the first time, he spends so long silently chatting with Sai in front of Shuusaku’s grave that Kobayashi-san taps his shoulder from behind to let him know it was dinner time.

One year, the museum staff has a newcomer. A relatively young man named Gatou-san who is a big fan of Hikaru’s, much to his glee.

The year after that, another guy joins the museum staff. But Nakiri-san is a big fan of Touya’s, much to his chagrin.

The following year, Hikaru learns that Yamamoto-san has retired so his yearly dinners with the museum staff are transferred to Yamamoto-san’s house.

One year, he learns that Takeda-san has passed away. Hikaru goes to visit his grave on the morning before meeting Shuuhei-san and continues every year after that.

Five years later, Yamamoto-san passes away as well. And from then on, he visits three graves in Innoshima.

On the year he first failed to defend his title, Hikaru is silent for hours in front of Shuusaku’s grave before he tells Sai a very brief summary of the past year.

On the year Hikaru played a game he lost but was fiercely proud of, he played a game in front of Shuusaku’s grave for the first time.

\-----

Hikaru didn’t mean to, but he has a yearly tradition. He goes to Innoshima at the same time every year, prays in front of Shuusaku’s grave, eats dinner with museum staff, and plays Go with an amateur.

Even though he tries to honor Sai’s memory in the Go he plays, there’s something about being here in the hometown of his ghost-host predecessor and talking to the people who maintain a memorial dedicated to him, and being in a place that can connect all three of them — Sai, Torajirou, Hikaru — and playing the game they all loved.

**Author's Note:**

> My headcanon is that even though Torajirou let Sai play his games, that doesn't mean he didn't enjoy Go.  
> I rewatched the whole Hikaru no Go anime because I stumbled upon it in Amazon Prime and the nostalgia just hit me and I had this urge to write.   
> Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!


End file.
